Flyover issue needs ‘objective’ decision – DILG Secretary

When suspended flyovers in Cebu draw the attention of a busy President, a “local” conflict becomes a state concern.

But the choice of whether to build more flyovers in Cebu City should be based on an “objective” decision that is resolved by parties on the ground, said Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo yesterday.

In a talk with reporters in Cebu, he said flyover proponents like Rep. Cutie del Mar and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH),  and those who oppose the project like Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and the citizen’s Movement for a Liveable Cebu (MLC) should find “common grounds” on which to reach a decision for the good of the city.

“This can be settled if both parties will agree on common parameters. I dont want to make a suggestion, I don’t want to interfere with local matters but if they can only come to terms with what the parameters will be, then probably there will be an objective decision on it,” Robredo said.

He mentioned as factors the cost of the project and its benefits or how useful it would be for Cebu City.

He also asked parties to solve the flyover controversy locally and not burden the Office of the President with local issues.

Last November 28, Del Mar and Rama met in Malacañang with President Benigno Aquino to address  two suspended flyover projects in Gorordo Avenue and M.J. Cuenco, whose work in November was stalled by opposition from the mayor and a mixed group of  heritage advocates, traffic managers, urban planners, Asilo dela Milagrosa nuns and citizens pushing for a “liveable city”.

President Aquino ordered the DPWH to complete a traffic study of both sites  by December to help decide whether the projects, both already bidded out for a cost of P600 million, will proceed next year.

Rep. Tomas Osmena yesterday said Secretary Robredo’s comments were neither in favor or against flyovers  but “it’s just the right thing to do.”

“I don’t look at it as ‘we won or we lost’.” Tomas said.

“The President had been very accommodating. But (according to Cutie Del Mar) he had spoken to Mike and said ‘Mike maawa ka naman sa akin, I have so many things to do. Why don’t you tell me exactly what do u want me to do and tell me exactly what you want’. But he (Rama) could not explain what he wants and told the Presidents that it’s all in the papers  (that he brought),” said Osmeña.

Mayor Rama, in a separate interview,  said he would have told President Aquino to have pity as well on Cebuanos.

“Kung mahimo pa lang(if only I could), I would have told the President: ‘Mr. President, maawa ka rin naman sa amin. Pakinggan mo rin ang mga tao who are experts. We have a finding from the (RDC) Technical Working Group and it’s not a finding of Michael Rama. They they have made a recommendation that the flyover is not yet the answer. This is not a question of ‘maawa’ but this is a question of what is right,” said the mayor.

Mayor Rama said the flyovers were projects of the DPWH funded by the national government.

“They could not easily run away from this since the funding comes from them. If it only involved local fundicng, I would have easily acted on this as the mayor,” he said.

Mayor Rama asked the RDC 7 in its quarterly meeting in Bohol on November 28 to reconsider its approval of the flyovers, and calendared the matter for its next meeting in March next year.

Robredo yesterday said it was important for the RDC to be consistent in making decisions.

“The RDC has the authority (to recall a resolution) but sometimes it’s difficult to undo when you have approved it already,” Robredo told reporters at the sidelines of the 1st Cebu NGO Summit yesterday at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center.

The two proposed flyovers in Cebu City were endorsed in eight RDC resolutions issued since 2008.

“It was approved, and the money is already appropriated then you will reverse it, you’ll have problems later on in consistency and reliability of the decisions,” said Robredo.

He reminded RDC members to consider the “soundness” of their decisions  as they would affect  future actions.

“Certainly when this was agreed upon by the RDC before, they conducted a study,” he said.

When sought for comment, Del Mar expressed her gratitude for Robredo’s remarks.

“It only confirmed what I’ve been saying all along, especially on this case, which has eight resolutions,” Del Mar told Cebu Daily News.

Del Mar repeated her belief that she was able to express the need for flyovers in Cebu City north district during her meeting with the President.

“When the flyover pushes through, they will know that this decision happened with much deliberation,” she said.

After the Nov. 28 meeting in Malacañang, Rep. Del Mar said she was confident the study will bear her out that the flyovers are needed to decongest these two traffic-clogged intersections.

The RDC 7 was asked by Mayor Rama to consider the findings of a Technical Working Group (TWG) of council members formed last September to study the flyover issue.

The TWG reviewed existing Metro Cebu land transportation studies.

It recommended that the RDC request DPWH to “reconsider” its previous approval of the two flyovers and hold in abeyance plans for any other flyovers in Metro Cebu until it can show “serious efforts at public consultations” with stakeholders and a “comprehensive analysis” of traffic that considers “alternative solutions”.

It also said “flyovers were not among the recommended traffic solutions in previous transportation sutides” and that flyovers were more identified with their  “sponsors” than as part of a transportation strategy.

A question of protocol arose, however, after the findings were set aside in a  a 6 to 16 vote by the Infrastructure and Development Committee (IDC) after secret balloting where former congressman Raul del Mar strongly warned against reversing any RDC decision on the flyovers.